^ That's ridiculous. Architectural ideas are transmitted like fashion, so if you have communication between two areas, then architecture will get transmitted, even if the two areas have wildly different cultures and physical settings.
The history of New Orleans architecture (or any city, really) is all about how each ethnic group came into the city and contributed their own ideas to the paradigm. At first the ideas were turned into buildings without any local influence, but then they gradually started to meld with earlier styles that had already assimilated.
The "International Style" was just another style that came from somewhere else (in this case, Germany) and got blended with local traditions.
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Originally Posted by RCDC
That philly example reminds me of another round anti-urban building
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Woah, the Hirshhorn is not anti-urban. It is an object building that stands alone, but the site around it is carefully designed as usable outdoor space. The walls produce a tranquil effect inside, like a courtyard, and ensure that the beautiful landscaping isn't despoiled at night. The walled garden is fundamentally urban; without the wall, the Hirshhorn would be just like a suburban building that pulls back on all sides.
There are lots of urban traditions that place courtyard space on the interior of blocks and turn blank walls to the street, including ancient Rome. If you wanna stick with
"traditional" European examples, look at a cloister or monastery in any Italian city. Long, blank walls abound.
This is the problem with New Urbanism - they turn everything into dogma. We need more mixed-use in American cities, but a successful city will not have mixed use on every parcel or even every block. We need active frontage on commercial streets, but in residential, civic, industrial areas these are perfectly acceptable. It's all about how you allow different types of uses to overlap and co-exist.